Fire At Kano Airport; Aircraft Damaged, Fuel Tanker Burnt To Ashes

Fire service officials averted what could have been a tragedy at the
Aminu Kano International Airport last night as they scrambled a
response to a sudden fire that caught a fuel tanker feeding a Turkish
airlines aircraft, a witness has said.

The tanker was however burnt to ashes while the aircraft, an Airbus
340, which was to airlift passengers from Kano to Istanbul, was partly
damaged.

The flight was subsequently cancelled with the passengers, most of
whom had arrived the airport, disappointed.

Garba Shehu, the Media Consultant to former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar, who was travelling with his family, told PREMIUM TIMES the
aircraft was saved from being completely burnt following a quick
decision by officials to hurriedly tow it away from the burning truck.

Mr. Shehu said, "The Airbus 340 aircraft which had the burning truck
under its wings made a miraculous escape following a decision to tow
it away from the fire just in time before the fuel-laden tanker burst
into a towering flame.

"The flight taking my family and I, among many other passengers to
Istanbul from Kano was cancelled a short while ago following
indications that the aircraft, even though not destroyed, was partly
damaged on its wing.

"Fire engines at the airport emptied their contents without any
serious impact on the raging fire, which burnt without let until it
had consumed the oil tanker."

The cause of the fire remained unknown as officials of the airport and
other aviation authorities could not be reached this morning.
Officials of Turkish Airlines could also not be reached as at the time
of this report.

PREMIUM TIMES recalls that Kaduna airport was temporarily closed on
April 20 after fire ravaged the airport's control tower, completely
destroying the facility.

Flights only resumed a day later at the airport after a mobile control
tower was brought in from Abuja.
Authorities said at the time that investigations had been commissioned
to determine the cause of the fire.

The result of the investigation is yet to be made public.

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